Grilled Sweet Potatoes: the No-Brainer Side Dish You (Somehow) Never Thought Of
If you’re anything like us, once you’ve got the grill fired up, you kind of want to grill everything that might possibly be grill-able in your cupboard, fridge and pantry. Particularly if you’ve got a charcoal grill, no one wants to let that precious smoky heat go to waste! So if you fire up the grill to make salmon, or burgers or chicken or whatever your grill-loving heart desires, while the grates are hot toss some sweet potato wedges on there, too! Just peel and slice and your prep is done. Plus, sweet potatoes keep and keep, so this is a summer (or even fall) side dish that you can easily keep in your back pocket for last-minute shin-digs or even last-minute weeknight dinners. They go with everything, they’re quick, easy and super fast. We’ve got an herby yogurt dip that we love to serve them with, but you don’t have to make it—if you skip it, this whiddles down a three-ingredient, super-simple recipe that majorly over-delivers thanks to the smoky magic of the grill.
Grilled Sweet Potato Wedges, Meet the Best Ever Herby Dipping Sauce
There are a lot of directions you can take these super basic grilled sweet potato wedges—so many flavors pair well with sweet potatoes! You could sprinkle the sweet potato wedges with some pimentón along with the salt and oil, and make them smoky. You could take them in a lime-y direction—a lot of people love to pair sweet potatoes with fresh herbs. If you’ve got little people coming over, never underestimate the power of ketchup as a natural partner for anything potato wedge-y. But our favorite favorite favorite way to take these grilled sweet potatoes to the next level of ultra-deliciousness is to serve them with a creamy, tangy, herby (and healthy!) yogurt dressing.
Olive oil
Plain Greek yogurt
Scallions
Fresh dill
Fresh garlic
Fresh basil leaves
Lemon
How to Grill Sweet Potatoes
A lot of us forget about sweet potatoes in the summer months. We’re busy loading up on sweet corn and tomatoes and making potato salads by the bowlful. But, we’d like to remind you about this ultra-healthy, kid-favorite tuber. The humble, inexpensive, nutritionally dense sweet potato gets along beautifully with your grill—smoky flavors are a natural partner for its natural sweetness—and goes with so many main dishes that it’s a winner no matter what's for dinner. Here’s how to grill sweet potatoes:
Cut the sweet potatoes!
Toss with oil and salt!
Grill the sweet potatoes! Just lay the oiled, seasoned sweet potato wedges directly on the grill—no foil needed! Turn them occasionally and pull them when they’re tender. It’ll take roughly 15 minutes.
Eat the sweet potatoes! With that garlic-tinged, herby yogurt dressing, if you’re so inclined!
What To Serve with Grilled Sweet Potatoes
You could take these sweet potatoes in so many directions, we almost hesitate to offer guidance because it might inhibit your imagination! But offer we will! Here are a few dishes that would make great partners for this super easy recipe:
Grilled Halloumi Salad. For a totally grilled, totally vegetarian feast, pair the grilled sweet potatoes with this deliciously hearty salad.
Grilled Scallops. For a light supper, these grilled scallops—topped simply with smoky paprika and lemon—would go really well with the grilled sweet potatoes. Add a green salad if you want to make it into a meal for a bigger group, or just have the scallops and potatoes for a low-key, minimal-prep, totally grilled summer dinner.
- Spatchcocked Grilled Chicken. A total classic if you want to go big. And if you want to go even bigger? How about...
Grilled Rib Eye Steak with Italian Salsa Verde! A real show-stopper and a serious partner for these grilled sweet potatoes.
Tools You’ll Need:
Grill (charcoal or gas grill—either works!)
More Sweet Potato Recipes to Try
Need An Easy Summer Side? Grilled Sweet Potatoes to the Rescue!
When you’re tired of grilled sweet corn (be honest, it happens) it’s time for grilled sweet potatoes! We hope you love this recipe as much as we do, and when you try it, we’d love to hear about it! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!
